Staying Well with Bipolar Disorder: Relapse Prevention

Relapse in bipolar disorder is common and comes at great cost to the individual, their loved ones and the economy. There is, however, good evidence that psychological interventions that are specifically designed for those with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder have a positive impact on relapse rates and are recommended by NICE guidelines. In this chapter, we give a brief overview of the impact of relapse in bipolar disorder and interventions designed to prevent relapse. We introduce early warning signs work as an intervention to reduce relapse by helping individuals to understand their potential triggers and early signs of mood changes. Following this, we discuss the Mood on Track Programme’s approach to individual, early warning signs work and provide a session-by-session overview of this work.